Today, the state met Michael Baron for the first time in a GOP campaign ad.

“This is Michael Baron from NJCTV reporting at the Statehouse where wallets and pocketbooks from throughout the state are protesting the Corzine Democrats,” said the Republican campaign ad.

Assembly Republicans created this animated ad to kick off summer campaigns. It stars a reporter with a strong resemblance to one of our political correspondents and highlights what the GOP is calling the “not so funny comedy tour,” focused on electing a new, Republican majority in the legislature and dumping the Democrats.

“A decade of disappointment and a decade of higher taxes. Give us a shot. Vote Republican this year in the legislature,” said Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick.

“As responsible people, we cannot vote for these folks who support leadership and support the policies of the 10 years before Gov. Christie go here that dug this hole so deeply,” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon. “If you’re going to vote for Gov. Christie, you can’t in good conscience vote for a Democrat for the legislature. If you do that you’re canceling out your vote for the governor.”

These Republican leaders say they want to build on Gov. Christie’s success.

“By his ability to communicate the ideas we’ve always had, people are accepting the concept that our plan was always better,” said Bramnick.

“If you’re talking about the reforms that have been implemented, it’s really the Democratic agenda that’s been at work and I would also remind them that the one time they’ve had to ride coattails on this governor in 2011, they ended up losing pretty badly and that’s why we have a 60 percent Democratic legislature in both houses today,” said Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee Communications Director Derek Roseman.

The Assembly Republican leaders will be intensely campaigning for their candidates statewide. They need nine seats to win in November to become the majority. Bramick publicly challenged the Democrats today.

“They better be out campaigning because I’m going to tell you right now, starting today, the war is on. And the war is to change this legislature to a legislature that reflects reform, not history,” Bramnick said.

According to the Assembly Republican produced video, the winners will be the new Republicans, but how do Democrats feel about this tactic?

“I think that the video was cute and funny and I think that you resort to that when you don’t have the issues to run on,” said Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. “I don’t see the majority changing at all. I see that Democrats have issues to run on and we have the failed policies of Chris Christie also to run on.”

Bramnick says some of the key legislative districts in this campaign are 1, 3, 14, 18, 27 and 38. As for Michael Baron, he can be seen on this video on YouTube.

Additional support for NJTV News is made possible by The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Rita Allen Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, The E.J. Grassmann Trust, The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The F.M. Kirby Foundation, and The Union Foundation. Support for arts programming is made possible in part by the Jean Dubinsky Appleton Estate.